Counting Skills is a huge subject. Counting is an important skill for all children to learn, and it’s best to get them started early. There are many fun activities that you can do with your child that will help develop their counting skills, some of which may not even be on your radar yet! This article briefly discusses some of the most fun and engaging activities that will help children improve their counting skills and become better mathematicians in general.
Here are the ten activities that will hopefully give you enough ideas to improve your child’s counting skills and keep your child entertained at home.
10 Fun Activities to Improve Your Child’s Counting Skills
1. Sing Rhyme Songs Together
Counting Rhyme Songs, also known as rhyme songs, are very educational for children. There are many different counting songs out there, so you can pick whichever one you want to use. Sometimes they are funny, silly, or just fun to sing because of the tune. If it’s a silly or funny song, that will help get your child into a playful mood to start learning. Some rhyme songs you can sing with your child are Five Little Ducks, Five Little Monkeys, 1, 2, Buckle My Shoe, Ten Green Bottles, and many more.
2. Play Mystery Socks
Kids need a partner for this game. They will need one sock and seven flat floral marbles; the flat marbles are ideal for this game because they won’t roll away. One kid should put several marbles into the sock. The other kid reaches into the sock without peeping, counts the marbles by touching them, and then tells the number. After that, the kids check if the answer is correct by taking the marbles out.
3. Counting Snacks
Kids love snacks, and it is a great opportunity for you to work on their counting skills. If your kid asks for pretzels, gummies, grapes, or crackers, have your kids tell you a particular number and provide them with that number as they start counting.
For instance, How many pretzels do you want? 8! Alright, Here’s the 8 Pretzels, so count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. As your kid starts understanding to count, they can start counting on their own. Then, as they are eating, you can ask them to count how many they have eaten. It is a great math practice that will help improve their counting skills while enjoying snacks!
4. Show More or Show Less
For this activity, you may need to make piles of different items on the table, which could be snacks or toys. Just make sure to pile one with less and one with more. Then, ask your kid to observe the items and have your child tell which pile has fewer items and which has more. It is an excellent concept to learn as your kid understands what numbers mean. Therefore, if a kid notices 6 and 3 of something, he will know which one has less or more.
5. Drawing Numbered Sets
Suppose you notice that your child can already recognize and recite particular numbers like numbers from one to ten. You can help your child retain that knowledge by encouraging him to perform this activity. First, you need to prepare a pencil and a paper. Then, write a particular number and word that you want your child to draw. For example, you write three suns on the paper; your child needs to draw three suns. Write as many figures as possible. This way, he’ll practice his counting ability at the same time develop his fine motor skills.
6. Fruit Counting
The objective of this game is to develop your child’s one to one correspondence. For this activity, you may need fruit counters and disposable plastic plates if you have any. Put some sticker dots on each plate; ensure to put a different number of dots to make it more engaging. Let your kid count the dots on the plate, then have him count out the number of fruits to put on the plate. Now, if you don’t have any disposable plate and fruit counter available to use, there are alternatives you can use. You can use dotted cards and any small items such as pebbles or buttons as counters.
7. You’re Cookin’ Now!
It is a counting activity that will help your child improve their counting skills and develop his math skills at the same time. You can prepare bread, cookies, or crackers and tell your kid to complete one part of the instructions. Say, “You’re cookin’ now!” and insist your kid check his work before serving it. Ask him how many pieces of bread you want; 2 pieces of bread? Okay, here are 2 pieces of bread.
8. Count and Sort
Having your child learn how to count is the first step until they start learning how to count money, which will come next. For instance, you need to sort out some small items: marbles, beans, or buttons. Then ask your kids to count them and sort them into two piles by counting one by one. This kind of activity will help your child understand the concept of comparing numbers.
9. Laundry Learning
Kids love to help you in the laundry room, so why not use them in a learning environment? For example, if you have a large laundry basket, let your kid sort clothes according to color. For instance, he can sort out clothes by color. Then let him learn how to count the clothes by sorting them into groups of 5 or 10 or more. This kind of activity will help kids improve their counting skills while practicing math at the same time.
10. Counting Things Outside On A Walk
Make your outside walk with your child educational as possible. When you bring your child with you outside, point out all the things or items in nature that you can count. For example, ask your kid how many houses are on the street, how many trees are in the park, how many cars are in the driveway, and many more things to see your child can count.
Counting is a math skill that can be developed as your child learns more numbers, numbers from one to ten. As you know from the previous examples, this is a skill that can be developed as your child learns more about numbers. In addition, as your kid learns how to count, he will improve his ability to distinguish other numbers and understand other concepts such as fractions. That is why counting is a very important math skill for kids at any age, so don’t forget to help your kid develop the skill of counting.
